Returning the Favor
by paris1601
Summary: King Touya of Clow Kingdom is sick, can the high priest heal him?


_**Disclaimer**: Tsubasa Chronicles is not mine. The story is fictional and all similarities to people and events in real life are coincidences._

_**Foreword: **I wrote this after I saw the episode where Syaoran explained to Fai and Kuro why Sakura was the only one who saw Princess Emeraude. It reminded me of certain events in CCS and so my first Tsubasa Chronicles fic was born._

**Returning the Favor**

The way the dark-haired man was coughing worried the entire household to no end. He was, after all, the king of Clow Kingdom. It wasn't so much the gravity of the sickness—it was just a very bad cold, according to the doctors and healers—it was the fact that their strong-as-a-horse king had caught it and several other infections in a short few weeks. It was bad enough what had happened to their princess, after all, but now, the king's health seemed to be failing.

The high priest sat by his bedside every time his majesty was sick, a constant and reassuring stillness amidst the hustle and bustle of the tense palace servants. But, despite the silver-haired youth's outward calm and levelheaded management of the kingdom, he was, of above all the people in Clow, the most worried. Though he attended to a lot of things—his duties plus the duties his king could not accomplish at the moment—he stayed by his lord's side as often and long as he could. He reasoned to himself and the rest of the king's subjects that he was one of the best healers in the kingdom and was the king's closest ally. He was the best person to take care of his majesty.

With every illness, small or devastating, that ravaged the king, the high priest's anxiety grew. He had an idea as to what was the source of the sudden sickliness, and it bothered him that he could do nothing about it. He put up a happy face for his royal highness, but whenever he thought the king was asleep, he would brood about the condition of his longtime friend.

But the high priest's façade was not fooling the king. One night, when all the servants had retired for the day, his majesty called out to his high priest, "Yuki."

The high priest Yukito once again removed the thoughtful crease from his brow and smiled warmly to greet his friend. The use of his childhood nickname told him that this was one of those moments when they were not playing the roles of king and servant. "I see you're awake, To-ya. Are you hungry? You slept through dinner."

King Touya watched as his friend stood up and walked over to the breakfast nook his father had set-up in the royal bedchamber. There was a fruit basket there and several implements for eating. "It's only a cold and a fever," he called after the silver head as he sat up. "I mean, the cure for the common cold hasn't been found yet, right? Not even you can cure it."

"I actually devised a spell to cure that a few years ago," Yukito called back as he selected an apple from the basket and picked up a knife, plate, and dessert fork from the utensils. "But I'm not going to cure you just yet. Not until I'm sure you'll be a good boy." His voice was jesting to match the nature of Touya's words, but the shadows behind his golden gaze betrayed how he truly felt.

When Yukito reclaimed his seat by the king's bedside, Touya once again just watched. He studied the high priest's face for a while as the latter began peeling the apple. Knowing that Touya would see through him, anyway, Yukito made little attempt to hide his concern. He kept his general expression happy, but his smile didn't light up his golden eyes as it usually did.

"Don't look so worried, Yuki," Touya finally interjected when he saw the last of the leathery red skin fall onto Yukito's lap. He briefly wondered how Yukito could peel an apple so that the skin came off in one long strip before going on with what he had been saying. "I'm just very tired. I've been worried about Sakura lately. That's probably why I've been getting sick."

Yukito nodded in understanding. His suspicions were right, after all. "She's fine," he reassured the king. "Syaoran is with her, after all. He won't let anything happen to her."

"It's actually that brat that I don't trust," Touya muttered darkly before breaking into another coughing fit.

Yukito was quick to set aside what he was doing and stand to come to the king's aid. He gently rubbed the royal back until the coughing fit was over. "The cure for what you have is simple even without magic: plenty of rest, plenty of liquids, healthy food, and no worries," he arranged and fluffed the large down pillow behind Touya. He then, guided Touya to a sitting position, with his back supported by the pillow, "Easier said than done, of course, especially the plenty of rest and no worries part. You even sent a part of yourself with Sakura when she left. A blessing or a prayer, if you must, to make sure she'll always be okay no matter what." When Yukito finished what he was doing, he met the king's gaze to judge if he was correct. As expected, he was. The two friends took a moment to stare into each other's eyes. Yukito broke the connection and grinned sweetly. "Comfortable?"

"Hn," was all the brunette replied. He really didn't like being figured out so easily.

Yukito once again sat on his chair and returned to the apple. He began slicing it to bite-sized pieces this time. They were silent for a while. It was the high priest who broke the silence. "You know, you can tell me anything. I might even be able to help."

Just as he had been able to figure out that Yukito was worried about him, Touya knew that Yukito had already figured him out. "It just bothers me..." he began.

"Hmn?"

"...That I can't sense when Sakura's in danger," Touya explained. He became fixated with the folds and creases he made on his blankets as he clenched his fists around the fabric. "I know I can't do anything about it, but as long as I'm feeling her, in danger or not, I'll know that she's still alive."

"I see," Yukito was done with the apple and picked up the dessert fork. He fed a slice to Touya. "But if you could sense what was happening to her, you'd be more worried about her."

Touya's grip on his blankets tightened. "I just need to know if she'll be able to come home."

Yukito was silent as he finished feeding Touya the apple. He thought of how he could help his friend. He also weighed the pros and cons of doing so. When he realized he was trying to spear an empty ceramic plate, he also realized he had only one more question before he could make his decision. "Do you really want to sense how she's doing? Will that make you happy, King Touya?" He used the title. He was asking both as a servant and a friend.

"Yes."

The high priest put away the plate, knife, fork, and what little was left of the apple, then sat down on the king's bed. He took both of the king's hands into his own. A magical circle surrounded them the moment he did this. Soft silver light bathed both of them, and gentle waves of power toyed with the strands of their hair. "There will be no turning back, King Touya. I can't take back what I'm going to give you." Golden eyes bore into earthen ones.

"What are you doing, Yuki?" Touya was mesmerized by the intensity of the look of his friend.

"I'm giving you a way to sense how Sakura is doing," came the reply. "Are you ready?"

Touya nodded his assent. At this, Yukito closed his eyes and the light surrounding them intensified. Touya felt a comforting warmth flow from Yukito's hands to his. The warmth permeated his entire body as he sat there, immobile. When the light died down, Yukito was already unconscious and would have fallen off the bed had Touya not caught him.

** O **

Yukito woke up to find himself on a soft and comfortable, but unfamiliar bed. He felt around for his glasses in order to better assess his surroundings. When he couldn't find them anywhere, he tried to sit up to gain a longer reach. But the moment he lifted his head, his world went black. He felt like he had run a hundred-mile marathon.

He wondered if he'd gotten drunk the night before, though he was sure that he had spent the night tending to the king.

The king! Yukito willed his vision to clear and blinked when he realized he was still in the royal bedchamber. He was even more surprised when he saw that he was on the royal bed. He found his glasses on the chair he sat on whenever he watched over the king.

"How are you feeling, Yuki?" Touya asked as he stepped into the room straight from his morning bath. "It took me a while to figure out what you did, but the moment I saw my father standing at the foot of my bed with that know-it-all smug smile of his, it all clicked."

Yukito dragged his body out of Touya's bed and tugged at his wrinkled clothes to make himself more presentable. "I'm fine, To-ya. I didn't even think that was going to work." He was lying through his teeth. All his muscles hurt and his head felt like it was going to explode. His throat felt scratchy as well, which was probably why his voice sounded rougher than usual.

"Idiot," Touya reprimanded his friend. "That was a dangerous thing you did, giving me your powers like that."

Yukito chuckled. "I can still use my magic, don't worry. I just won't be able to see spirits anymore." A nostalgic smile lingered on his lips. "Besides, you did the very same thing for me in another life. I was just returning your gift."

"I didn't ask you to," Touya grunted. He was grateful, but he didn't like the idea that anyone dear to him was at risk. He could sense that Sakura was happy and well, so for the moment he was focused on Yukito. They were the only family he had.

"You didn't have to," the high priest just smiled warmly at his king. "Your wish is my command," he bowed. When he straightened up, he asked, "How's your cold, by the way?"

"It's gone," King Touya informed his high priest who, at that exact moment, sneezed. An amused smirk appeared on the king's face. "Apparently, you took it from me when you gave me your powers." He went to his dresser and produced a handkerchief and lent it to his sniffling friend.

Yukito sneezed again. "I'b gwad you' feeligh beddu," he managed to say despite a nose that suddenly decided to become stuffy after the last sneeze.

Touya walked over to his friend and literally swept him off his feet. "Back to bed you go, High priest Yuki," he ordered as he deposited the other man on his bed. "You're obviously in no condition to work today."

"Bud, Do-ya," Yukito protested meekly as his king tucked him into the royal bed.

Touya silenced all protests by stroking Yukito's cheek gently. "Thanks."

Yukito settled down and nodded his "You're welcome". Touya sat by Yukito's side until the silver-haired youth fell into a peaceful slumber. They both had images of an angel and a dark-haired young man from another place and another time dancing in their heads.

_Okay! That was an awful attempt, but reviews are always appreciated. Comment, criticize, drop in to say "hello" or whatever. By the way, I'm not exactly sure if this classifies as a crossover. The last line about an angel and a dark-haired young man is about Touya and Yue from CCS._

_Hope someone enjoyed this!_

_paris_


End file.
